One question has lingered in the Central Texas farming town of West since a fertilizer plant caught fire in 2013 and exploded, killing 15 people and damaging at least $100 million in property: What caused the blaze?

There was a showdown in Houston last fall. This spring, North Carolina became the battleground. By now, confrontations have flared across the country over whether to protect or curtail the right of transgender people to use public restrooms in accordance with their gender identity.

Zero-tolerance policies are ineffective in combating bullying, an independent government advisory group says in urging schools to take a more preventative approach that includes teaching tolerance to address this "serious public health problem."

Shifting swiftly to the general election, Donald Trump says he's narrowed his list of potential running mates to "five or six" people and is leaning against accepting public money to finance a fall campaign against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday slammed Donald Trump's "ignorant" view of Islam, after the Republican presidential contender suggested Khan could be exempted from a proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

White House dreams fading, Bernie Sanders added another state to his tally against Hillary Clinton with a win in West Virginia on Tuesday -- a victory that will do little to slow the former secretary of state's steady march toward the Democratic presidential nomination.

As House Speaker Paul Ryan walks a fine line on Donald Trump -- withholding his support, at least for now -- some voters back home in his congressional district applaud his effort for the greater good of the GOP.

Congressional Republicans are returning to Capitol Hill to confront an awkward new reality: Donald Trump is their presumptive presidential nominee, but instead of uniting behind him, leading figures like House Speaker Paul Ryan are withholding their support.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory shows no signs of backing down in the face of the federal government's deadline today to declare he won't enforce the new state law limiting protections for LGBT people -- defiance that could risk funding for the state's university system and lead to a protracted legal battle.